1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved inflatable kite which may be controlled by the flyer to perform acrobatic maneuvers.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
An improved novel, inflatable kite is disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 631,534. The kite has, when inflated, a deltoid shape formed of a single air chamber and a pair of uninflated areas forming gull-wing airfoils. The air chamber has a bulbous nose portion from which three air beams extend, a central beam and two diverging side beams. The gull-wing airfoils extend inward from the rear, one between the central beam and each of the side beams. The kite has a single tethering string attaching means which is located on the central beam approximate the flying point. The kite, being inflatable, is easy to assemble for flight. By virtue of the single air chamber and the uninflated areas between the central air beam and side air beams, the inflated kite has structural integrity which allows it to be flown in most normal wind conditions. By having the tethering string attached at the flying point, the kite responds as an airfoil and has a high angle of flight. However, having a single tethering string, the maneuverability of the kite is limited.
My U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,286 dated July 17, 1973 and entitled "Kite Structure" discloses a keel-type kite having maneuvering means. The kite includes a control rod which is connected with the kite in such a manner that the relative position of the keel to the kite body may be changed to cause movement of the kite during flight in a desired position. With such a kite, the flyer can perform various stunts and, therefore, extend his enjoyment. Due to the difficulty and expense of attaching control lines to an inflatable kite, there has been no known inflatable, maneuverable kite. Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an inflatable kite having means through which the flyer can control the kite to perform various aerobatic maneuvers.
It is a further object to provide a maneuverable, inflatable kite which is easy to assemble, has excellent structural integrity and is stable in flight.